1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to releasable fastening devices, and more particularly to a belt and buckle combination in which the buckle includes a pair of rings.
2. Relation to Prior Art
A common fastener or buckle for lashing the ends of a belt together includes a pair of rings. A free end of the belt is threaded through both rings, turned upon itself, and passed again through only one of the rings so that pulling the free end tightens the belt.
An example of a dual ring fastener arrangement is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,697,833 issued Jan. 1, 1929, to Lane. That arrangement includes a strap having a closed loop at one end and a pair of D-shaped rings through which the loop extends. The other or free end of the strap can be threaded through the D-shaped rings to permit tightening of the strap when the free end is pulled. When tension is released from the belt, the free end can be drawn out of the D-shaped rings by reversing the threading pattern.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,270 issued Feb. 18, 1964, to Van Den Broek et al. relates to a fastening device for anchoring the ends of a strap under tension. The device consists of a pair of flat, G-shaped fastening elements that each include an open ring portion and a closed ring portion. In use, the G-shaped elements are placed in face-to-face, inverted relation to each other so that the open ring portion of one of the G-shaped elements overlays the closed ring portion of the other G-shaped element. To fasten one end of the strap to the G-shaped elements, that end is passed through the closed ring portion of one of the G-shaped elements and looped around a segment of the open ring portion of the other G-shaped element before being passed back through the closed ring portion of the former G-shaped element. The other end of the strap is threaded through the G-shaped elements in a similar manner. Thereafter, when the belt is tensioned, the ends are anchored in the G-shaped elements.